The Wicked and the Damned by Rebecca Robinson

TL;DR: This was like… 75% filler
Source: NetGalley, thank you so much!

Plot: Vassa gets kidnapped and we get a lot of filler before a bang of an ending.
Characters: Vassa looses a lot of her kickassery in this and we don’t get nearly enough Reid time. I couldn’t stand most of the other characters (Roman).
Setting: A great setting, I loved that. Much like the first one she does a good job of setting a scene.
Romance: This made me furious. I hated everything about Roman being there, I hated her characters being separated, etc.

Summary:

Torn from her husband Reid’s arms and dragged back to her homeland in chains, Vaasa is no longer a ruler, but a political pawn. Now under the control of Ozik—a cunning Zetyr witch with a stranglehold on her magic—she faces annulment, forced betrothal, and a kingdom that no longer feels like her own. As Ozik’s machinations aim to install himself as the true power behind the Asteryan throne, Vaasa is forced to take part in his game.

Meanwhile, across the continent, Reid is done playing politics. But waging war is never simple, and a soldier’s fury cannot stand up against Icruria’s bureaucracy. With allies fading and time slipping away, Reid may have no choice but to infiltrate Asterya on his own to find the woman he loves and bring her home.

As Vaasa’s magic begins to flare, she desperately seeks control, even if Ozik is the only one who can offer it. She then finds a cryptic final message from her mother about a precious missing necklace that might just be the answer to finally freeing her magic from Ozik. Yet when a ghost from Vaasa’s past reemerges among the suitors vying for her hand, escape might be within reach—but will it demand a betrayal that real love may not survive?

Thoughts:

Genuinely, this was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I was so excited for this, it took me a while to get over my anxiety over being excited, and whomp whomp. The ending of the first book was such a big banger, so I expected to go into this one with a lot of action or reveals. And while yes we did that, it quickly slowed down and then sloooooowed down, you know?

Vassa and Reid are separated for most of this volume. That would be fine if it were for Roman. The random fella from Vassa’s past returns and he’s the actual worst. I’m still not sure if we were supposed to think he was a romantic interest or just an annoyance, but either way I couldn’t stand him and I couldn’t stand their interactions.

The setting and magic was fun, but this genuinely felt like filler for the bulk of it. A lot of Vassa complaining and a lot of repetition talking about politics. Reid is around more in the later half of this book, but I felt like he needed so much more page time, especially with Vassa.

Overall I wasn’t a huge fan. I’m going to be honest, I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if we weren’t given Roman. Are we supposed to think Vassa would cheat on Reid? Are we supposed to believe he’s not up to something? It felt needless. So this definitely had middle book syndrome for me. Will I continue the series? Maybe… we’ll see.